How to Make Low-Sugar Strawberry Jam

6 mason jars of canned low sugar strawberry jam

May 23, 2025 Food Preservation, Spoonful

— By Kate McCarty, Food Systems Professional, University of Maine Cooperative Extension

Strawberry jam season is right around the corner in Maine, and one of my favorite fruit jams is strawberry jam (strawberry-rhubarb is a close runner up). I love to go to my local pick-your-own strawberry field, and then come home and make strawberry jam. Traditional jam recipes use a lot of sugar (often more sugar than fruit) so instead, I use added pectin to make a low-sugar jam that sets up just right. If you’re looking to preserve local fruit using less sugar or even no sugar at all this summer, this post will help you with all the terms and tips you need for success.

What is pectin?

Pectin is a naturally occurring thickener derived from fruit sources like apples and citrus. It’s what makes your jam set or gel, rather than being a runny fruit syrup. If you rely on only the pectin in the fruit you’re using to make jam, a lot of sugar is required. Adding additional pectin in powdered form will help your jam set reliably, and some are formulated to set using less sugar or alternative sweeteners like honey, maple syrup, and sucralose.

How do I use less sugar when making jam?

First, be sure to choose a pectin that is designed to gel using less sugar. The package will say “low or no sugar needed.” Brands like Ball, Mrs. Wages, SureJell, and Pomona’s all make pectins that require less or no sugar. Pectin can be found with the canning supplies in grocery stores, hardware stores, big box stores, natural food stores and farm supply stores. Beware that some pectins expire and will be less effective, so check the package for an expiration date before you head to checkout.

Many people think they can make a low-sugar jam by just cutting back on the sugar a recipe calls for. But if you’re using a pectin that isn’t made to use less sugar, you run the risk of your jam not setting when you do this. This isn’t a safety concern, but it’s disappointing to end up with a runny jam that doesn’t gel. Instead, we recommend finding a pectin specifically designed to set using less sugar. Just read the package carefully and follow the instructions that come with it to make sure that your jam gels nicely.

The table below shows you the amounts of fruit and sugar in the strawberry jam recipes included with 4 different types of widely available powdered pectin:

Pectin Name	Amount of Strawberries	Amount of Sugar
Sure-Jell Fruit Pectin*	5 cups	7 cups
Sure-Jell Less or No Sugar Needed*	6 cups	4 cups
Pomona’s Pectin	4 cups	3/4 to 2 cups
Ball Low or No-Sugar Needed Fruit Pectin*	2 to 2/3 cups	up to 1 cup sugar
Jam without added pectin	4 cups	4 cups
*pectin powder contains sugar

Finding a low-sugar jam recipe

If you use a commercial pectin, it’s important to follow the recipe that comes with the pectin. You cannot substitute one pectin for another—if you do, you run the risk of the jam not turning out right. So follow the recipe in the pectin instructions or one from the manufacturer’s website. Some pectins come with a few recipes in the package, but have many more on the company site. We love the Honeyed Strawberry-Ginger Preserves from Pomona’s Pectin, developed by UMaine Extension Master Food Preserver Allison Carrol Duffy, or the Low-Sugar Strawberry Freezer Jam recipe from Ball.

Preserving homemade strawberry jam

Even with less sugar, strawberry jam is acidic and can be canned using a boiling water bath canning method. Our short video will show you how to make and can low-sugar strawberry jam. Jam can also be frozen instead of canned. Just be sure to use freezer-safe plastic or straight-sided glass containers and leave ½-inch of headspace in the container to allow for expansion in the freezer. Most pectin recipes make 6 to 10 8-ounce jars of jam—plenty to enjoy throughout the coming year and share with family and friends.

No endorsement of products or companies is intended, nor is criticism of unnamed products or companies implied.

Cooperative Extension: Food & Health